This week’s question come from Brooke:
Hi Joe. I have a somewhat unique situation in that my husband is a pilot in the Air Force which limits where I can find work. Working remotely is great, but it isn’t easy to find that type of work. I’ve toyed with the idea of doing freelance work, but I’m a bit stumped where to look for work and the best way to find work. My background is in usability and user experience.I can’t decide if I should try to go to local companies and offer my services to improve their websites or if I should try some of these freelance sites on the internet. Do you have any suggestions on where to find work?
Tags: answers, ask me, beginning, gigs, links, niche, questions, series, work | Posted in Ask Me About It | Comments Off
Hey Joe- I was wondering if you’d be able to give us a sample design so we can see what kind of work you do. It will help us make a decision on which designer we should go with.
This is not an uncommon email, especially in the world of web and graphic design. And it seems harmless to a lot of people. Sure, they just want a sample design. But they are really asking for free work. While you as a freelancer might be tempted to do comp/spec work to try and seal the deal on a contract, it’s not the way to go. Last week I posted 10 Reasons to Say No To Spec Work by No!Spec; here is my take on spec work.
Tags: clients, comps, gigs, proposal, relationships, samples, spec work, tips, work | Posted in Advice, Lessons | 4 Comments »
As a designer, you will likely be asked to do comp or spec work; that is, work for free to see if a potential client wants to hire you. This is a big no no for designers for several reasons. I’ll write up my own post next week (keep an eye out!), but for today the site No!Spec has Ten Reasons to say to No. You should check that out, as well as the rest of the site as it has reasons, horror stories of doing spec work, and more.
(link to post)Visit 10 Reasons to Say No to Spec Work
Especially when you’re just starting out, finding work can be a difficult and intimidating process. You might not be sure where to look or exactly how to word that email. Fear not: I’m here to help. Today I’m going to talk about three ways to find work, what to look for, and how to keep it coming.
Tags: clients, Freelance Switch, gigs, networking, people, referrals, relationships, work | Posted in Advice | Comments Off
As a freelancer, a lot of my gigs come from referrals- friends, family, former clients. But, especially starting out, you can’t always rely on these. You should actively look for work on a regular basis. My first non-referral gig came when I responded to a gig board’s posting and the poster decided to go with me. Here is how I did it.
Tags: beginning, gigs, people, referrals, tips | Posted in Advice, Stories | 1 Comment »
